In the News

New Hires, Promotions, Partners

Richard Berkley, U.W. 1997, has been promoted to agency attorney II with the Department of Information Technology, Telecommunications and Cable Franchise Counsel, City of New York.

Patricia A. Chucka, Marquette 1990, has joined Law Offices of Catherine A. Thomas, Brookfield, as inhouse counsel for Travelers Insurance Co. She previously was a partner with Law Offices of Olsen, Kloet, Gunderson & Conway, Sheboygan.

Ebbe	Fifield

Robert D. Ebbe, U.W. 1995, and Beth N. Fifield, Marquette 2000, have joined von Briesen, Purtell & Roper S.C., Madison, as associates in the health law practice group. Ebbe formerly was with Axley Brynelson LLP, Madison.

Kristin K. Frye, Marquette 1996, has joined Vignette Corp., Austin, Texas, as a staff attorney practicing in software licensing, intellectual property, and corporate law.

Robert L. Kaplan, Hamline 1981, has been named general counsel and director of human resources at IMServ FieldTech, a national energy data services management company in Milwaukee. Kaplan previously was deputy general counsel with Wisconsin Gas Co.

Daniel D. Krumrei, Marquette 1997, has joined West Pointe Bank, Oshkosh, as vice president and trust officer in charge of the trust department. He previously was an associate with Dempsey, Magnusen, Williamson & Lampe LLP, Oshkosh.

David P. Weller, U.W. 1997, Chris A. Jenny, U.W. 2001, and Joanne Harmon Curry, U.W. 2001, have joined Lathrop & Clark LLP as associates. Weller practices in taxation, estate planning and trusts, and business planning. He is also a CPA and had previously worked at a public accounting firm, where he dealt with all tax aspects related to trusts and estates. Jenny practices in taxation, estate planning, real estate, business planning, and litigation. Curry practices in school law, with an emphasis in special education.

Malloy	Watzka

Mark D. Malloy, William Mitchell 1998 cum laude, and Kelly B. Watzka, Marquette 1994, have joined Leib & Katt S.C., Milwaukee, as associates. Both will practice civil litigation: Malloy with an emphasis in products liability, municipal liability, and medical malpractice defense; and Watzka with an emphasis in products liability, business litigation, and medical malpractice defense.

Sara Buscher, U.W. 1994, will serve Lathrop & Clark LLP as of counsel. She practices in elder law, estate planning, retirement planning, and taxation, with a special emphasis on assisting families dealing with Alzheimer's dementia. Buscher works in private practice as an attorney and a CPA.

John P. McConnell, Yale 1989, joined the Bush White House in January, serving as chief speech writer to Vice President Dick Cheney.

Michael J. McDonagh, American University 1985, joined the Milwaukee office of Mallery & Zimmerman S.C. as a shareholder practicing in corporate and securities law. McDonagh is former general counsel of a NYSE-listed corporation and has worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodities Futures Trading Commission, and Department of Justice. He was formerly a partner with Michael, Best & Friedrich LLP.

W. Scott Nehs, U.W. 1991, has been promoted to vice president - legal for PepsiAmericas Inc., Rolling Meadows, Ill. He replaces the company's general counsel. Nehs previously was deputy general counsel for a PepsiAmericas subsidiary.

Timothy S. Jacobson, Marquette 1992, of Parke O'Flaherty, Ltd., La Crosse, has been promoted from partner to shareholder. Jacobson focuses his practice on civil litigation, including business disputes, environmental law, and personal injury.

The firm also added two partners, Daniel J. Lilly, William Mitchell 1995, and Margarita Van Nuland, U.W. 1992, and an associate, Sean O'Flaherty, Fordham 1998. Lilly, who is also a CPA, practices business law, tax, and estate planning. Van Nuland focuses on family law and criminal defense. O'Flaherty concentrates on business, banking and real estate law, and civil litigation.

Judith M. Pendergast, R.N., Marquette 1992, has been made director of planning, marketing, and communications for the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, which provides credential and license review and verification for foreign-educated nurses and other health care professionals who wish to practice in the United States.

Purtell

Brian Purtell, Pittsburgh 1993, has joined DeWitt Ross & Stevens, Madison, focusing on representing and advising health care providers. He serves as general counsel for the Wisconsin Health Care Association and the Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association.

Taylor

Chad R. Taylor, U.W. 1996, has been named chief legal counsel for Gov. Scott McCallum. He previously was with Michael Best & Friedrich LLP's Madison office, practicing in government relations, administrative, and regulatory law.

Michael W. Vogel, Regent University 1996, has become a partner in Feingold & Bates LLP, Janesville, focusing his practice on estate planning, probate, corporate, taxation, and real estate.

Mergers, Relocations, New Associations

Charles S. Blumenfield, U.W. 1974, and Robert G. Dowling, U.W. 1975, have formed Dowling & Blumenfield LLP, Milwaukee, continuing to focus on plaintiffs' personal injury representation, as well as criminal and traffic defense, civil litigation, and general practice matters. Blumenfield will continue to serve as a reserve municipal judge in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington, and Jefferson counties. He also will serve as a mediator and arbitrator in personal injury and other civil matters. Dowling and Blumenfield were previously partners at the recently dissolved firm of Shneidman, Myers, Dowling, Blumenfield, Ehlke, Hawks & Domer.

Gutglass, Erickson, Bonville S.C., a Milwaukee civil litigation firm, has changed its name to Gutglass, Erickson, Bonville, Seibel & Falkner S.C. The firm has added a business and real estate practice group: Daniel Seibel, U.W. 1988; Kelley Falkner, Cornell 1991; Timothy Randall, Marquette 1997; and Stephanie Lyons, U.W. 1995, all formerly with Godfrey & Kahn S.C. Seibel was a shareholder at Godfrey & Kahn S.C., with 15 years of experience in the real estate industry. Falkner was also a shareholder, with 10 years of experience in general corporate law. Randall and Lyons have several years of experience in real estate.

Julius Kim, Marquette 1997, has opened Kim Law Offices S.C., 710 N. Plankinton Ave. Ste. 730, Milwaukee, focusing on immigration law.

Fifteen attorneys have formed Shneidman, Hawks & Ehlke S.C. Shareholders are Bruce Ehlke, Aaron Halstead, Timothy Hawks, John Kiel, David Lasker, Thomas Nelson, Israel Ramón, Daniel Schoshinski, and Jeffrey Sweetland. Associates are Andrew Chevrez, Nélida Cortés, Kathleen Meter, and Faith Mondry. Of counsel to the firm are John Bowers and Howard Myers. The firm's attorneys will continue their practices in labor and employment, worker's compensation, civil rights, and general practice. Attorneys in both the Milwaukee and Madison offices will continue to represent Spanish-speaking individuals.

Awards, Degrees, Honors

Gregg Hagopian, U.W. 1987, received the 2001 Norman N. Gill Award for Individual Excellence in Government. The award is bestowed by the Public Policy Forum upon a nonelected government official, who, through leadership and innovation, demonstrates that "government works" for its citizens and taxpayers.

Stuart C. Herro, U.W. 1975, DeWitt Ross & Stevens S.C., Madison, has been awarded the William L. Thompson "Service Above Self" Award by Madison South Rotary for outstanding community service to the people of South Madison. The award is in memory of Bill Thompson, a longtime Madison South Rotarian, who died in 1994 in El Salvador while on a Rotary goodwill mission.

Much of Herro's volunteer work has been with Centro Guadalupe, Madison, an outreach agency for the Office of Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of Madison, which provides job and housing assistance, a clothes closet, and a food pantry to immigrants. Herro serves as a member of Centro Guadalupe's Advisory Board and an English as a Second Language tutor. Madison South Rotary will donate $1,000 in Herro's name to Centro Guadalupe.

Herro recently became president of the Madison West Towne-Middleton Rotary Club.

Schroeder

Stuart R. Schroeder, Oklahoma City University 1977, shareholder and founder of the Schroeder Group S.C. Attorneys at Law, Waukesha, was honored recently as the 2001 Outstanding Law Review Alumnus at the Oklahoma City University Law Review Awards.

Robert (Rock) Theine Pledl, John Marshall 1980, was awarded the Legislation/Public Policy Award at the Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin Annual Conference for his work in fair housing litigation involving group homes for persons with disabilities. He is with Schott, Bublitz & Engel S.C., Brookfield, practicing disability law.

George P. Stephan, U.W. 1958, received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY. Stephan retired in 1999 as managing director of the Stonington Group, Hartford, Conn. He was with the Kollmorgen Corp., Hartford, for 21 years and served on the Hartwick College Board of Trustees for 18 years. He was instrumental in establishing the Hartwick Humanities in Management Institute and serves on its board of advisors.

Rodney J. Uphoff, U.W. 1976, has been named the Elwood Thomas Endowed Professor of Law at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he's teaching this fall. He will continue to serve as co-counsel for Terry Nichols in the Oklahoma City bombing case.

Appointments, Elections

Brian L. Anderson,U.W. 1980, has been appointed to a two-year term on the Tax Exempt/Government Entities Advisory Committee, an organized public forum for the IRS and repre-sentatives who work with employee plans, exempt organizations, tax-exempt bonds, and federal, state, local, and tribal governments.

Anderson is a CPA and shareholder in DeWitt Ross & Stevens S.C., Madison.

Levy

Johnathan T. Levy, U.W. 1995, has been elected to the board of directors of Seagull Industries for the Disabled, West Palm Beach, Fla. Levy, an associate with Rosenthal & Weissman P.A., West Palm Beach, represents plaintiffs in personal injury cases.

John A. Busch, Duke 1976, has been elected to the State Bar Board of Governors; Jorge A. Gomez, U.W. 1986, has been elected to the State Bar Judicial Council; and Teresa J. Welch, U.W. 1987, has been elected chair of the State Bar's Intellectual Property Law Section. All are partners with Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Milwaukee. Busch is on the management committee; Gomez represents businesses in complex litigation including construction, systems integration, health care, and white collar matters; and Welch practices intellectual property, including all aspects of patent, copyright, and trademark law.

Paul A. Sturgul, U.W. 1973, has been elected president of the National Elder Law Foundation, Tucson, Ariz. The foundation oversees the board certification process for elder law attorneys and has been approved by the American Bar Association's standing committee on specialization.

Paul R. Van Grunsven, Marquette 1986, has been appointed chair of the Special Preliminary Review Panel for the Office of Lawyer Regulation. The panel was created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to address misconduct and malfeasance allegations against lawyer regulation system participants. Van Grunsven is a member of Kasdorf, Lewis & Swietlik S.C., Milwaukee, and chairs the firm's health law section.

Authors, Speakers

Sylvan Sobel, U.W. 1983, has published The U.S. Constitution and You, the third in his series of children's books. A second edition of Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts will be released later this year. Sobel is director of communications for the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, D.C.

Wisconsin Lawyer